Category: Scam Email

7/12/2017 0 Comments

Scamwatch: Beware of the Parking Fine scam email

This week iTandCoffee received a call from a client who needed assistance with scanning her Mac for any viruses or adware/malware after she clicked the link in the email she received below.

It did look quite real and, when she found that she could not quite read the content of the image shown, she chose the View photos taken by the bylaw officer link to find out more about her parking ticket.

For more details about this scam email, read this recent Herald Sun article: Don’t pay this fake parking fine

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15/9/2017 0 Comments

Can you spot which of these emails is real, and which is a scam?

This one nearly made me click! Have a close look at these emails (click to enlarge) and see if you can spot the differences - the things that indicate that one is a fake.

Having only recently received a real email from ASIC about the renewal of the iTandCoffee business name, I really had to look twice (and three times) at the 'same' email that I received this week.

Given that I have registered two business names, my initial reaction was to believe that the email was real. Can you tell which one is real?

Working out which is legitimate

But, as I always do with any email before clicking on any links or opening/downloading any files, I had a look at who the email was from (by clicking on the email address) - and it was definitely not ASIC.

The address attempted to look like an ASIC address - [email protected] - so could easily catch out many people.

Another giveaway was that there was no mention of my name, or business name in the email - it seemed very generic.

I also used the 'Quick Look' feature in my Mac Mail to preview the web page associated with the 'Pay now' link. (Hover to the right of the link and click the 'down-arrow'. You can also just hover the mouse over the link to see what website it links to. On the iPad or iPhone, hold your finger on the link to see a screen that shows the link's website address at the top.)

And boy, did the preview look authentic. But the giveaway was that the website shown at the top (see the red arrow above) was NOT ASIC.

What would have happened if I 'clicked'?

In fact, the 'Pay now' link did actually 'redirect' to the real ASIC website (after first taking me to the eoaclk.com website). Obviously the scammers want you be believe they are ASIC, so that you will click the 'renewal notice' link a bit further down.

Clicking the 'renewal notice' link would have downloaded malware, a virus, or even ransomware - so I dared not click it on my Mac to find out which! (I could see on my iPhone that this link would have downloaded a ZIP file to the computer - I'm sure containing all sorts of 'nasties'.)

Here is the article on the ASIC website, describing this scam.

Be alert to scam emails like this. Always be sure the sender is legitimate before clicking any link or downloading/opening any file in an email.

Do you need further help?

We have a free video that demonstrates how to detect a fake email - here is the link:

How to detect a Scam email

If you need further help in assessing whether an email is real or a fake, you can forward the email to iTandCoffee (at [email protected]) and we will check it for you to let you know if it is safe.

If you are looking to learn more about your Mac, why not attend our great class series, called 'Getting to know your Mac' - check out the dates below.

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16/2/2017 1 Comment

Have you received any of these emails recently?

It is rare that a day goes by without one or more scam emails appearing in my Inbox, usually targeting iTandCoffee email addresses that are readily available on the iTandCoffee website.

I thought it worth including samples of some of the emails received recently. One in particular caught out an iTandCoffee client, and has caused all manner of problems for her

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18/1/2017 0 Comments

How good are you at spotting a scam email? Test yourself here

There are so many scam emails flying around the internet these days, and they are getting harder and harder to differentiate from the real versions.

This week, the Age published an interesting article on this topic, one that showed 'real' and 'fake' versions of emails and challenged you to detect which one is the 'scam' email.

Here is the article - I'd encourage you to take their test!

Think you can spot a scam email? Take the test

That scam 'Australia Post' email that could easily have caught me out this week!

I am currently doing lots of online purchasing for the new iTandCoffee shop, with several of deliveries scheduled for this week and the next few weeks.

So, when I received this email today, it would have been so easy to have been fooled by it - as it tells me that I had missed delivery of a parcel.

PLEASE be careful of emails like this. They are not from Australia Post - they are scams, and should be deleted immediately.

I could be absolutely sure it was a scam by looking at the link's address to see where it was REALLY going to send me if I clicked on it - definitely not Australia Post.

Here is a previous blog post on how this scam: Beware of emails saying you have a parcel for collection!

And another that tells you how to check the link in an email to see if it is legitimate: How to work out where an email link is really going to take you.

If you are ever wondering if such an email is legitimate, but are not confident enough to check the link, call your local Australia Post to check, or forward it to iTandCoffee to get us to check if it is legitimate!

Please do not click the link.

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Scamwatch: Beware of the Parking Fine scam email

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Call +61 444 532 161 or 1300 885 420

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YOUR CART

Tips, Tricks and News about all sorts of technology in your life!

Scamwatch: Beware of the Parking Fine scam email

Related articles

Can you spot which of these emails is real, and which is a scam?

Get more great tips like this!

Become a member of The iTandCoffee Club

Have you received any of these emails recently?

How good are you at spotting a scam email? Test yourself here

Related Handy Hints and Articles from iTandCoffee

That scam 'Australia Post' email that could easily have caught me out this week!

Receive great articles like this fortnightly to your Inbox

Follow us on Facebook

Join the iTandCoffee Club ​for free content, tutorials, videos, classes, offers, discounts and more

What's on at iTandCoffee ?

Archives

Categories

​​Call +61 444 532 161 or 1300 885 420​to book an appointment or class, or to enquire about our services and products

Tips, Tricks and News
about all sorts of technology in your life!

Receive great articles like this
fortnightly to your Inbox

Join the iTandCoffee Club

for free content, tutorials, videos, classes, offers, discounts and more

Call +61 444 532 161 or 1300 885 420

to book an appointment or class, or to enquire about our services and products